Polytechnics strike to end soon – FG

By AbdulRaheem Aodu
Kaduna

The protracted strike by polytechnic lecturers that has kept students at home for 11 months would soon be called off as federal government has met with university lecturers while setting up a committee to look into the dichotomy issue, Supervising Minister of Education, Barrister Nyesom Wike, has said.
Wike said government is taking measures to resolve the issues surrounding the strike as it had set up a committee to look into the issue of polytechnic and university graduates dichotomy, which was one of the grievances of the striking lecturers, while he assured Nigerians that the strike by staff of colleges of education would also end soon.

Addressing the Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics and Federal Colleges of Education in Kaduna during a retreat organised for them by the Federal Ministry of Education yesterday, the minister said, “just last week, Secretary to the Government of Federation met with ASUU on the issue of dichotomy and I can assure that the federal government is very committed to the issue of education, as education is central to the transformation agenda of Mr. President.

“A committee has been set up to look into the issue of polytechnic and university graduates dichotomy. So I am joining other Nigerians to call on the lecturers to call off the strike,” he pleaded.
Declaring the retreat open, Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of Kaduna state said technical and vocational education were key to technological advancement of any nation.

Chairmen of the Governing Boards of NBTE and NCCE, Professor Lazarus Ekwueme and Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, appealed to both federal government and the tertiary institutions’ unions to reach agreement and call off the strike.
Dr. Ezeife said the standard of education in the country does not make Nigerians proud, while Prof. Ekwueme said Nigeria cannot meet the vision 20:2020 if the polytechnic education continued to languish in a bad shape.